Russia

The need to preserve the natural environment is not equally recognized by all people.

As might be expected for a country of such vast size, Russian water resources are enormous.

East of the Lena Basin and along the Siberian Pacific coast are the vast Eastern Highlands.

North of the Central Asiatic ranges, east of the West Siberian Plain, and south of the Siberian Arctic Lowland is the Central Siberian Plateau.

East of the northern Ural Mountains is a series of flat lowlands that are snow-covered in winter and swampy in summer.

The Southwestern Asiatic ranges form a long, narrow region that begins with the Altai Mountains.

South of the West Siberian Lowland is the dry Caspian Basin.

East of the Ural Mountains is a vast area of low-lying swamps and broad floodplains called the West Siberian Lowland.

To the north of the Russian Plain are the flat and swampy European Arctic Lowlands.

Western Russia, located west of the Urals and south of the European Arctic Lowlands, is within the vast Russian Plain.

Because of its vast size, Russia contains rocks and minerals from almost every geologic period.

Chernozem soils, like Chestnut soils, have a fine, granular texture and similar basic color tones.

Agriculture and food production were very important to Russian tsars.

Scattered throughout Russia are areas of lush, mountainous grasslands.

In stark contrast to the grasslands and deserts of the Volga Delta region are the beautiful subtropical forests of the western Caucasus Black Sea coast.

South of the semidesert is the true desert, where vegetation is scant and species limited.

The steppe grassland blends southward into the semidesert.

South of the wooded steppe is the true steppe, a continuous belt of short grasses that extends from western Russia to southwest Siberia and Kazakhstan.

Between the mixed and deciduous forests and the taiga of the north, and the semidesert and desert vegetal bands of the south, lies a vast expanse of wooded steppe and steppe grasslands.

South of the taiga, in the western portion of the Russian cultural realm, is a wedge of mixed and deciduous forests.

The tundra is a belt of distinctive plants and shrubs that forms a continuous strip from the Norwegian border to the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Vladimir Köppen believed that the natural vegetation native to an area reflects the total physical environment of that place.

Russia also has other complex climatic regions.

The BW, or very dry desert climate, characterizes areas north of the Caspian Sea.

The BS or dry steppe climates are found in a belt south of the forests of southern Russia.

C climates are the mildest found in Russia.

D climates with short summers and long, severe winters characterize most of Russia.